SCRIPTURE LESSONS.

II.

Che Lost Sheep.

LUKE XV. 1-7.-"Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, this man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying uuto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, That likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance."

You have often read this little story, or parable, of the shepherd and his sheep; and you know that our Lord told it, that he might let us know some

thing about Himself and His Father who sent Him. Now you must notice why He told this story at this time. Many publicans and sinners were coming to listen to Him-poor, ignorant, sinful people, who knew little about God; but the Pharisees and scribes, who were very religious, and thought themselves very righteous, expected that Jesus, if he were a very holy man, would have nothing to do with such people as these ; and when they saw that He received them quite kindly, and even eat with them, they were offended at Him, and said, "This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them"-how can this be a good man? So it was to them He told this parable, to shew them how different his heart was from theirs, and His holiness from what they thought holiness.

You have probably, some day or other, seen a shepherd on the hill-side with his sheep—a great many sheep, and they seem all quite alike to you. You cannot tell one from another, but he knows them every one. You may also have noticed, that they have marked on them the letter of the person's name to whom they belong, that so, if they go astray, it may be known whose sheep they are, and that no one else may be able to claim them. Now, think of this-think of that shepherd there with his many sheep; recall to mind how you have seen him looking carefully over them when he is

counting them, to see that none is missing; and, if he do miss but one in all that large flock, how he goes through it again and again to see whether it be not there; and how anxious he looks-he takes heed of nothing but of the missing sheep; and when he is sure that it is not among the flock, then he begins to look farther off, and, perhaps, at last, he sees it far, far away. What shall he do? Shall he leave it? for he must go many a weary step before he can reach it, and it is only one sheep. Is it worth all that trouble? Yes, he must go after it, though it be only one, and he leaves all the rest, and goes away through stony places, and thorny places, and wet bogs, and close thickets, until he finds it; and then what does he do? He lays it on his shoulder, and carries it home rejoicing. And when he comes home, he says to his friends and neighbours, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost. What do you think the scribes and Pharisees would say to this story? They would probably say the shepherd was very foolish to take so much trouble about the wandering sheep, and that it should be left to itself as it deserved. But that was not the thought of the Good Shepherd, who gave His life for the sheep.

Well, what are we to learn from all this? First, We are to remember that we are of the flock of Jesus; every one-yes, every one of us; and we

have had His name, His mark put upon us. You know that when you were taken to the church— to the house of God, to be baptized (though it was when you were an infant, and you can remember nothing about it), yet you know that then the holy name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, was named over you, and you were marked as belonging to the flock of Jesus; and that mark can never be washed out-it can never be put away. You may have wandered away, perhaps, very far from the Good Shepherd, and may have forgotten that you belong to Him; but He does not forget it. He counts all His sheep; He watches those that are astray, and in His great love He goes after them; and He is going after

you now.

But in that country where our Lord lived, and where he told this parable, sheep, when they wandered away, were exposed to a great danger to which they are not exposed in this country. There were wild beasts-wolves, and bears, and lions-going about waiting to devour them, that made the shepherds watch them so carefully ;* and how grieved would that shepherd be who, when he had gone a long and weary journey after his lost sheep, found it torn to pieces by a lion or a bear! Instead of calling his friends and neighbours to rejoice with him on coming home, he

* See 1 Sam. xvii. 34-36.